Guatemalan military officers carry the coffin of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt to his burial site at a cemetery in Guatemala City, April 1, 2018 (AP photo by Moises Castillo).

Justice Advocates Are Making Gains in Central America, but a Backlash Is Brewing

The EditorsWednesday, May 8, 2019

It has been more than two decades since the civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala came to a close. Yet in both countries, transitional justice is still a goal, rather than a reality, and recent progress risks being undermined by powerful forces intent on blocking accountability.

For this week’s in-depth report, Anna-Catherine Brigida spoke with survivors of civil war-era atrocities who have campaigned—in some cases successfully—to make the alleged perpetrators of those atrocities stand trial. She also examined efforts by officials allied with former military regimes to use legislation and the courts to revive amnesty provisions.

In this week’s podcast interview, she talks with WPR’s senior editor, Robbie Corey-Boulet, about what these tensions mean for Latin America writ large—a region where experts fear resurgent rightist forces are trying to normalize past abuses. She also explains why debates over transitional justice matter for U.S. policy in Central America.

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